Pop culture and the academy collide as Science Study Break features researchers from The University of Texas at Austin discussing the science reality in books, television and film. Past presentations have examined bioterrorism and its treatment in the Fox thriller “24,” artificial intelligence gone wild in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the comic realities of Spider-Man and epidemiological models for the proliferation of zombies.

Science Study Break takes place twice each semester and is generously supported by the University Federal Credit Union.